A streetscape tour is a guided, walking interpretive tour that shares the story of the Little Rock Nine, desegregation, education and civil rights. Streetscape tours do not have access into Little Rock Central High School.
NPS Photo
Reservations for Weekday Guided Tours with limited access inside Central High School - NEW as of June 14
Guided tours with access to Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) are only offered on select weekdays at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM CST/CDT; no guided tours with access inside Central High School are available on weekends, federal holidays or during LRCHS school breaks (spring, Thanksgiving, winter breaks) or school events. For visitor planning purposes, below is a list of dates where ranger-guided tours will NOT have access inside Central High School.
Guided tours with access to LRCHS are only at these two above times, are by confirmed reservation only, and must be reserved and confirmed at minimum forty-eight hours (2 days) in advance. For the best possible availability, we recommend calling to request reservations at minimum 1 month or more in advance as there is no guarantee of tour availability without a confirmed reservation.Tours have a set limit of participants (25 for this current phased access) as Little Rock Central High School is still a functioning high school with over 2,000 students. Only tour attendees with a ranger can enter the high school; please do not enter the school on your own.
Tours start at the Visitor Center located at 2120 W Daisy L Gatson Bates Drive; the Visitor Center offers free parking and can accommodate cars, buses and RVs. Guided tours involve crossing two streets at an intersection to reach Little Rock Central High School. Paved crosswalks and sidewalks connect the visitor center to Little Rock Central High School and are accessible. Guided tours may involve several periods of time outdoors in various temperatures; in the event of inclement weather, tours may either be modified to stay inside the visitor center or enter LRCHS if in more immediate proximity.
The route of the tour once inside LRCHS is dependent on school activities on each weekday. The typical route at Little Rock Central High School may involve ascending two flights of stairs to enter the school's main entrance, a walk into the auditorium of the high school, OR a possible walk down two flights of stairs into the cafeteria. An ADA accessible entrance is available and an elevator can be taken between floors if needed. If accessibility accommodations are needed, please let the park know when reserving your visit.
Please note - guided tours are not focused on LRCHS and its architecture with access to various floors, classrooms and other facilities. Guided tours are focused on the story of the Little Rock Nine, desegregation and civil rights are supplemented by limited access inside LRCHS.
Note - Here is a list of weekdays and range of dates where ranger-guided tours will NOT include access inside Central High School; streetscape tours (see below section) may be available on these dates:
Monday, July 5, 2021
Thursday, July 29 - Friday, July 30, 2021
Friday, August 6, 2021
Monday, August 9, Thursday, August 12 and Friday, August 13, 2021
Monday, August 16 - Friday, August 20, 2021
Monday, September 6, 2021
Friday, October 15, 2021
Monday, November 22 - Friday, November 26, 2021
Monday, December 13 - Friday, December 17, 2021
Monday, December 20 - Friday, December 24, 2021
Monday, December 27 - Friday, December 31, 2021
Monday, January 3 - Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Monday, January 17, 2022
Friday, February 18, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Monday, March 21, 2022 - Friday, March 25, 2022
Monday, May 23, 2022 - Friday, May 27, 2022
Monday, May 30 - Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Additional dates without access to Central High School may be added throughout the 2021-22 school year - Central High School is a working high school (9-12 grade) and part of the Little Rock School District.
Please note - NO TOURS are available on these dates:
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Saturday, January 1, 2022
Reservations for Weekend Guided Streetscape Tours
Guided streetscape tours are offered on most weekends at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM CST/CDT. On weekend streetscape tours, there is no access to Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS).
A streetscape is a guided, walking interpretive tour from the visitor center to Little Rock Central High School that will share the story of the Little Rock Nine, desegregation, education and civil rights without access into Little Rock Central High School.
Guided streetscape tours are only at these two above times, are by confirmed reservation only, and must be reserved at minimum forty-eight hours (2 days) in advance. For the best possible availability, we recommend calling to request reservations at minimum 1 month or more in advance as there is no guarantee of tour availability without a confirmed reservation. Tours have a set limit of participants (25 during this phased access). Streetscape tours MAY not be offered on federal holidays or during LRCHS winter or spring breaks, so please confirm availability when reserving in advance.
Tours start at the Visitor Center located at 2120 W Daisy L Gatson Bates Drive; the Visitor Center offers free parking and can accommodate cars, buses and RVs.Guided streetscape tours involve crossing two streets at an intersection to reach Little Rock Central High School. Paved crosswalks and sidewalks connect the visitor center to Little Rock Central High School and are accessible.
Streetscape tours may involve crossing two streets at an intersection to reach Little Rock Central High School. Paved crosswalks and sidewalks connect the visitor center to Little Rock Central High School and are accessible. Streetscape tours may involve several periods of time outdoors in various temperatures; in the event of inclement weather, tours may either be modified to stay inside the visitor center.
The route of the streetscape tour may go onto the grounds of Little Rock Central High School, the grounds of the Magnolia Mobil Station, into the Commemorative Garden and/or to the Elizabeth Eckford Bus Bench, all of which are accessible. The landing at the main entrance to Little Rock Central High School is not accessible.
Please note that streetscape tours are not focused on LRCHS and its architecture. Streetscape tours are focused on the story of the Little Rock Nine, desegregation and the civil rights movement.
Steps to reserve either tour:
Call (501) 374-1957
When reserving a tour, please be prepared with the following information or leave this in your message: *Name for individual or name for the group
*Number of people
*Contact phone number (preferably a cell phone you wil lhave on the day of the tour)
*Email address (for confirmation)
*Any special needs or ADA accessibility needs
We will reserve and confirm the date, time, number and other details with you either with a verbal or emailed confirmation.
